<Cecilia> Cecilia gave the maitre'd to the Brazilian restaurant she'd picked a nod in greeting. "Table for three, Reyes?" The man nodded and led them over to a table by a fish tank filled with Amazonian fish and left them with their menus.

<Cecilia> "So this is a little further south than where we're from," Cecilia said conversationally to her mother and Fabian, studying the menu. "But I figured a change couldn't hurt."

<Fabian> "Just a tad." Fabian nodded, chuckling as he glanced about the place. "It will certainly be quite good." He flicked through the menu absently; glad that Cecilia had went ahead and chosen a place as he would have over analyzed where to take her mother in the first place.

<Fabian> "So, how have you found the school so far?"

<Maria> Maria took in the restaurant with wide eyes. She'd never eaten somewhere so nice, or out much at all for that matter. She felt a bit queasy thinking about what this must be costing Cecilia, though her daughter didn't seem to notice or care. "<It's...interesting,>" she said diplomatically.

<Maria> "<There aren't as many families as I was expecting...but the students seem very...nice.>"

<Fabian> "Well, I suspect that many were too far away or they just couldn't make it." Fabian said to put her at ease. Of course she would know that a lot of the students might not have any family but it didn't need to be the dinner conversation if she didn't want it to be.

<Cecilia> "What Fab said," Cecilia said, snapping her menu shut. She smiled at her mom, "Besides, meeting Tony Stark was more than enough to make up for that, yeah?"

<Fabian> "I'll admit to you right now I'm a bit of a Tony Stark fanboy." He chuckled to Maria. "It's a guilty secret of mine."

<Maria> Maria just smiled nervously. "<I'm afraid I don't pay much attention to politics...>" She looked nervously to Cecilia as the waiter approached to take their orders, eyes pleading.

<Cecilia> Cecilia considered leaving her mother to flail for a moment, she was still annoyed about her mother's slinking off when Stark appeared and about the bonding with Jess, but grudgingly ordered for herself and her mother a moment later.

<Cecilia> "Well, you're gonna love my surprise then," Cecilia smiled to Fabian, leaning back in her seat. "I might've suckered Stark into making an appearance at the Hellfire club for us, so your dream of meeting him may soon become reality."

<Cecilia> "Siéntase lliure d'adorar més tard," she teased.

<Cecilia> ((Catalan: Feel free to worship me later.))

<Fabian> "Oh, m'asseguraré." Fabian teased right back.

<Fabian> ((Catalan: Oh, I'll be sure to.))

<Fabian> He looked slightly worried though at still seeing Maria nervous. Was he making things worse and not even realizing it? "Well, we'll have to meet the rest of the group sometime as well. I heard the Drakes are in, I've heard tons about Mr. Drake."

<Cecilia> Cecilia looked really confused for a moment. "Oh right! Bob's father. I think I saw him wandering around once. He looked sorta pissed, but I hear that's the norm." She laughed. "Mom, you remember Lorna? The green-haired woman who came to recruit me? She just had her baby."

<Fabian> "Yeah, from what I've heard everything went fine. I think the event shot Dr. McCoy judging by the look of him in class the next day though."

<Cecilia> Cecilia laughed hard at that. "Well, how good would you look after a day of a hormonal woman screaming at you? Not good, I think!" She left out the part about bodily fluids though, while she wasn't troubled by it she had a feeling Fabian would be put off his dinner.

<Maria> Maria smiled slyly at this. "<It's good everything went well. It's worse for everyone the longer it takes. Cecilia was difficult. She was born too early and she was born sideways," she said, gesturing to Fabian.

<Cecilia> "Mom! Don't tell him that! Jesus…"

<Fabian> Fabian just looked to Cecilia and slowly smiled. He was pretty sure he couldn't answer her question without getting kicked under the table. "Hey, it's not the worst thing you could have been doing for your birth. Apparently I was hogging all the nutrients and such in the womb trying to starve my sister out."

<Maria> Maria nodded to Fabian. "<You're a twin? You mentioned you had a sister before. That happens all the time with twins- one always steals from the other.>"

<Cecilia> Cecilia snorted. "You pig," she said affectionately. "Stealing from her even before birth. You're a nightmare."

<Fabian> "Yes, we're twins...and you make it sound like I was stealing from her all the time now." He poked Cecilia's shoulder.

<Maria> Maria smiled. "<That must've been nice growing up with someone so close in age. Cecilia and Miguel were only three years apart and sometimes even that seemed too large an age gap. Where's your sister now? Are you still close?>"

<Fabian> "Oh, we kept each other in and out of trouble regularly." Fabian replied to give himself some time to figure out how he was actually going to answer that question. "Last I saw her she was in DC. There's no telling where she is, flits about here and there."

<Cecilia> Shit. "I haven't met her yet, but I'm sure I will someday," Cecilia lied smoothly, answering her mother's yet unspoken question. "S'only a matter of time." If she isn't dead in a ditch someplace already.

<Fabian> "I imagine after meeting my father Cecilia's had her fill of meeting my family, haven't you?" Fabian laughed, glad to see the food as well.

<Maria> Maria looked surprised. "<Cecilia what did you do?>"

<Cecilia> Cecilia made a small noise of protest through her mouthful of food, before chewing and replying: "Nothing! I was nice!" Until the Senor called her a dog, then she'd been less than polite.

<Fabian> "She didn't do a thing; she was great company and Jacinta adored her. My father can be...a bit difficult."

<Maria> Maria sighed, giving Fabian an apologetic look. "<Perhaps, but Cecilia doesn't always watch her tone,>" she said to Fabian. "<You should be more careful when speaking to your betters, Cecilia.>" She said, shaking her head disapprovingly.

<Cecilia> Cecilia's eyes narrowed. "What she means is I should be seen and not heard by my 'betters,'" she said to Fabian, her face indecipherable. "But if we really wanna play that game almost everyone in the world is my 'better.'"

<Fabian> Fabian kept his smile in-spite of the slight change in attitude going on. "Cecilia was pretty much a perfect guest...although I think she found the caganar and the Tio de Nadal a little suspect."

<Maria> Maria looked down at her food, her face terribly sad. "<I don't recognize you anymore. With the tattoos and the piercings and the Hellfire place and talking to the presidential candidate like he was an old friend...You've changed so much.>"

<Fabian> This was way more 'open feelings' than Fabian was used to, knew what to do with, or really even liked. What did he even do with this business now?

<Cecilia> Cecilia laughed, though her expression looked exceptionally pained. "I'm still the same person, Mom." She'd known it was coming, but it still hurt like a motherfucker. Every fucking time.

<Cecilia> She shot Fabian very apologetic look, who was probably inwardly cringing at so much emotion being flung around. "So, how do you feel about trying some of el vino?" She said, tapping the wine list. "They've got a few that look alright." Fuck it, she had already disappointed her mother. No need to continue trying at this point.

<Fabian> ...was this a trap? It felt like a trap. Fabian gave Cecilia a careful look to determine what his answer should be. Screw it, he wanted some wine. "We may as well, a glass can't hurt."

<Cecilia> Cecilia flagged down a waiter and soon enough they had a bottle of red wine at the table. Thank fuck. Cecilia poured herself a generous glass and sat back. There, that was so much better!

<Maria> Maria frowned at this but didn't take any herself or comment on it. As she'd stated, things were changing. "<Cecilia tells me you're interested in teaching, Fabian?>" Maria asked hesitantly, in case she was wrong.

<Fabian> He was? Well, she probably had to tell her mother he was thinking about doing something and they had talked about the idea of him having to teach...and it being hilarious. It was as good an option as any. "Well, I honestly don't know how I'd take to it. I know the material I'd teach but I don't know how I'd do in a classroom."

<Cecilia> "You do?!" Cecilia said, surprised. She'd told her mother that one because she couldn't think of anything else he wanted to be at the time. The last job was working for a mad scientist and that somehow didn't seem like a viable career option. "What would you teach?"

<Cecilia> She prayed he didn't say 'Sex Ed' or anything that might give her mother a heart attack.

<Fabian> "Military history, what else would I be teaching now?" Fabian asked, just the smallest of smirks to go to Cecilia as he answered before looking back to Maria. "I'm afraid I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to things such as that."

<Maria> Maria looked very pleased at this. "<That's a very good idea. Being a teacher is a good career and it would be nice to have two 'doctors' in the family,>" she smiled.

<Cecilia> Cecilia snorted over her wine. Doctors, what a riot.

<Fabian> Fabian just reached over and patted Cecilia's head. "Of course, won't lie, probably one round of it and I'll be ready to open a vacation resort instead."

<Cecilia> "I can see that," Cecilia laughed. "You knocking around on your own resort with khakis and an umbrella in your drink. If you ever do start one be sure to call me. It's never a bad idea to have an on-site doctor. These Americans and Europeans have such weak constitutions. They can't even drink the water in most places!"

<Fabian> "You realize you're in that demographic by now, right?" Fabian reminded her with a laugh. "Your system won't take kindly to Montezuma's Revenge either now."

<Cecilia> Cecilia waved a hand dismissively. "I was born in La Perla and I took public transit most of my life! My immune system is much stronger than yours with your sparkling clean pool and maids. You'll see." She took a sip of wine, smirking.